Accepting What Christ Did

Believing is not merely giving mental assent to what Christ did and then living any way we want. Saving faith has four important steps. First, we must decide to leave behind our past life. Second, we must admit that we cannot help ourselves. Third, we must accept what Christ has done on our behalf. Fourth, we must entrust ourselves to Him in this way; we accept His way of life as our way of life. So when He becomes our Saviour, He also becomes our Lord.
Why is faith so important for salvation? Faith is the opposite of the basic sin that separates man from God. Man's fall took place when he chose to decide for himself what is good and what is evil. He chose to build his own system of values. So man's basic sin is independence from God. Faith is the opposite of independence from God. When one exercises faith, he rejects his own ways of saving himself and controlling his life and submits to the way God provided for him in Christ Jesus.
Here then is the gospel in a nutshell: God has, in Christ, done all that is necessary for our salvation and we must accept that by faith.

- Ajith Fernando in "The Christian's Attitude Toward World Religions"